Your vision for a better food system: What we’re hearing from you

Mahalo to everyone who’s responded to our question, “What’s your vision for a better food system?”

I’d like to sum up some of the responses that we’ve received thus far, and encourage more responses.

@kakooiwi wrote that Hawaii needs certified food-processing facilities, to facilitate the movement from raw crops to finished products that can be marketed. Those facilities should be located in close proximity to rural farms. Several individuals echoed this sentiment on Facebook, with calls for commercial incubators.

For info on a functioning commercial kitchen incubator, follow this link to an archived Honolulu Advertiser article on the Pacific Gateway Center’s facility in Kalihiwaena.

Several individuals said that we need more food grown, both in organic farms, and in neighborhood settings, such as the city’s community gardens program. On the new social network Namesake.com, local technologist Dave Kozuki said, “I’d also like to see food trading at the neighborhood level.”

Thanks everyone for your mana‘o. Your input will influence and guide our reporting on food issues in June.

Some food for further thought: Is food distribution working? What more do we want from neighborhood mom-and-pop stores, convenience stores, and groceries? Is there room for more subscription-based community supported agriculture programs, like Meleana’s Farm or the MA‘O CSA? We’d love your thoughts. What’s your vision for food distribution in an improved Hawaii food system?